A lot has been happening behind-the-scenes on the upcoming Martin Scorsese-directed film “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The film, starring Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio, has had its budget balloon to close to $225 million in the past few months, with Paramount having to sell off distribution and creative rights to Apple. However, we haven’t had much info in terms of the ins-and-outs as to why such a startling set of events even occurred, until now.
Thanks to a report from THR, it seems as though the script was severely altered and the role that DiCaprio was supposed to play got switched around. DiCaprio was set to play the role of the hero of the film, who worked for the just-formed FBI, but then Scorsese had a change of heart, took another look at the script and made revisions, turning DiCaprio’s role from the good guy to the nephew of Robert De Niro’s villainous character. Paramount started to worry, seeing the film turn from a mainstream crime thriller to a moody and intimate film that still required a $200+ million budget. Enter Apple to save the day, they offered to cover the costs as long as they could take creative control of the film.
Paramount still holds the worldwide rights to distribute the film in theaters, but Apple now has the rights to stream the film, giving Scorsese the theatrical run he never really had with Netflix on “The Irishman.” However, we still don’t really know if the film is ready to be shot or if more revisions will be made to the script, regardless, this is very exciting news and a sure-sign that De Niro and DiCaprio are ready to work again with Scorsese.